The closure for a container of this application represents an improvement over the closure shown and claimed in my copending application, Ser. No. 07/222,850, filed Jul. 22, 1988, now U.S. Pat No. 4,953,781 issued Sept. 4, 1990.
An object of this invention is to provide a closure structure for a container which may be in the form of a carton in which a tongue portion of a wall panel of the carton cooperates with a web attached to the tongue portion and to the wall panel adjacent the tongue portion to form the closure.
A further object of this invention is to provide a carton having a closure structure which does not protrude from the surface of the carton, and because it does not so protrude from the carton, the carton may be processed and filled by conventional erection and filling machinery and conventionally loaded in shipping containers with minimized likelihood of damage of adjacent cartons in transit.
A further object of this invention is to provide a closure structure for a container which before opening by the consumer, as it moves in commerce, does not detract from the carton aesthetics, nor occupy valuable surface area of the carton where placing of graphics and copy is desirable.
A further object of this invention is to provide such a closure structure including pleated web portions which can move between a locked open position and a locked closed position.
A further object of this invention is to provide such a closure structure in which the web projects beyond the free end of the tongue and the pleated web portions project laterally of the tongue portion to engage the inwardly facing face of the wall panel between the edge of the tongue opening and the attaching of the web to the wall panel, to retain the tongue in closed position, the web being attached to the wall panel adjacent the base of the tongue and laterally of the portion of the wall engaged by the projecting flaps.
Another object of this invention is to provide an inner seal panel having edges sealed to the inward face of the container annularly of the pour spout and dividing the interior of the container into main and spout chambers, and also by its undamaged condition indicating that the contents of the main chamber have not been tampered with.
Another object of this invention is to provide an inner seal panel which bridges perforations and locations of slots, cuts or the like in the container wall associated with the tongue to exclude from the main chamber matter passing through the perforations or other non-impervious portions in the portion of the container wall panel spanned and overlain by the seal panel.
Another object of this invention is to provide a seal panel which gives improved anti-sifting character to the main chamber of the container.
Another object of this invention is to provide a pour spout of substantially the width of a carton wall panel.
Another object of this invention is to provide a seal panel which prevents material and/or migration of product ingredients from the main chamber into the spout chamber and thereby prevents material entering into the spaces between the outwardly facing surfaces of the pleated web from whence it would be ejected and scattered by the opening of the pleated web as it is expanded upon opening of the spout.
Another object of this invention is to provide a carton blank having a web member, which blank may be assembled, erected, filled and closed by machines capable of handling similar carton blanks lacking the pour spout and inner seal panel features of this invention.
An additional object of this invention is to provide a separate chamber inside the container for inclusion of instructions, coupons, or other objects which, upon opening of the pour spout, will be free of product and/or ingredients and immediately available for retrieval by the consumer before the main chamber is opened to access the goods packaged in the main chamber, thereby precluding the need to search through the product in the main chamber after the main chamber is opened and also precluding such items later bridging the discharge opening or otherwise obstructing the discharge of product from the main chamber to and through the package spout after both are opened.
Another object of this invention is to provide an inner seal panel barrier between goods packaged in the main chamber and a spout chamber having perforations in the container wall panel separated from the main chamber by the inner seal panel barrier which is a barrier to substances which may adversely affect product packaged in the container, viz. moisture vapor, carbon dioxide or other materials which might in the absence of the inner seal panel barrier migrate into the carton main chamber through pervious portions of the container board wall spanned by the inner seal panel.
A further object of this invention is to provide a container of the foregoing character formed of container board having a barrier to escape or migration of one or more ingredients of the contained product past the barrier, in the absence of which barrier such ingredient or ingredients would cause degradation of the structure and/or appearance of portions of the container on the side of the barrier remote from the contained product.
A further object of this invention is to provide a container of the foregoing character in which an inner seal panel barrier spans pervious portions of the container wall so as to provide a sealed container having a sealed inner barrier between product surrounded by said barrier and portions of the container on the opposite side of the barrier from the product, whereby escape or migration of substances from the contained product to portions of the container beyond the barrier is precluded.
A further object of this invention is to provide a container of the foregoing character formed of container board having a barrier to substances which may adversely affect product packaged in the container, viz. moisture vapor, carbon dioxide and other materials, which with an inner seal panel barrier spanning pervious portions of the container wall, provides a sealed container in which the need for a sealed inner barrier, such as a bag, is obviated.
A further object of this invention is to provide a container of the foregoing character formed of container board having a barrier to substances which may adversely affect product packaged in the container, viz. moisture vapor, carbon dioxide, other gas or materials, with an inner seal panel barrier spanning portions of the container wall having areas of pervious character through which moisture vapor, carbon dioxide or other gas or materials such as oils, greases, surfactants or other materials might migrate and dividing the interior of the container into two chambers, thereby providing a sealed container having a chamber in which the need for a sealed inner barrier, such as a bag, is obviated.
A further object of this invention is to provide a reclosable pour spout structure including pleated web formed flap portions which can move between a locked open position and a flap locked closed position.
A further object of the invention is to provide pleated web portions which form generally triangular flaps, portions of which project laterally beyond the side edges of the spout tongue to overlie the inward face of the wall panel adjacent the side edges of the tongue opening with the apses of the angles of the triangular flaps adjacent the fold line of the tongue being spaced the same as or more closely than the side edges of the spout tongue so as to provide more latitude in the registry of the web and spout tongue while maintaining the apses on or between the side edges of the spout tongue.
A further object of the invention is to provide triangular side flaps which project beyond the side edges of the spout tongue a distance related to the distance the portion of the flap is spaced from the spout tongue hinge line and the distance the adjacent portion of the spout tongue moves relative to the container wall as the spout tongue is swung about the tongue hinge line to substantially avoid portions of flaps wedging between the side edges of the tongue opening near the spout tongue hinge line where spout tongue movement is small.
A further object of the invention is to provide triangular side flaps which in spout closed position progressively from nil projection at the spout tongue hinge line lockingly project progressively further behind the container wall laterally of the spout tongue.
A further object of the invention is to provide a container having an inner seal panel that is accessible through the open spout for removal of a portion thereof to provide a dispensing aperture through which contents of the main chamber may be dispensed to and through the spout chamber and spout.
A further object of the invention is to provide an inner seal panel having grippable means extending into the spout chamber wherein it is accessible to the user, after the spout chamber is opened, for pulling outward to provide a predetermined opening in the inner seal panel for dispensing contents of the main chamber to and through the spout chamber and spout.
Another object of the invention is to provide a predetermined opening in the inner seal panel having substantially the same width as the spout tongue opening in the container wall or of a narrower width and having its lateral edges parallel and inwardly adjacent the lateral edges of the spout tongue opening in the container wall so the triangular flaps may be drawn through the spout tongue opening in the container wall by swinging the spout tongue into the container until the triangular web side flaps are advanced through the spout opening in the container wall so the triangular flaps may spread between the container wall laterally of the spout opening therein and portions of the web extending to web glue flaps secured to the container wall laterally beyond the spread of the triangular flaps so the web and the container wall embrace the triangular flaps and the end web flap is concurrently drawn through the spout tongue opening so as to project between the container side wall and the inner seal panel above the spout tongue opening to improve the resealing and locking of the container and securing of the spout tongue in coplanar relation with the container side wall after a discharge opening has been made in the inner seal panel.
Another object of the invention is to provide a predetermined opening in the inner seal panel having substantially the same width as the spout tongue opening in the container wall and having its lateral edges parallel and inwardly adjacent the lateral edges of the spout tongue opening in the container wall so the triangular flaps may be drawn through the spout tongue opening in the container wall by swinging the spout tongue into the container until the triangular web side flaps are advanced through the spout opening in the container wall so the triangular flaps may spread between the container wall laterally of the spout opening therein and portions of the web extending to web glue flaps secured to the container wall laterally beyond the spread of the triangular flaps so the web and the container wall embrace the triangular flaps, and the end web flap is concurrently drawn through the spout tongue opening, but not through the opening in the inner seal panel to project between the container side wall and the inner seal panel above the spout tongue opening and the inner seal panel contacting the side of the web opposite the side of the web in contact with the triangular flaps to urge the web toward the container wall and against the triangular flaps to improve the resealing and locking of the container and securing of the spout tongue in coplanar relation with the container side wall after a discharge opening has been made in the inner seal panel.
Another object of the invention is to provide a spout tongue opening in the container wall through which the triangular flaps may be drawn by swinging the spout tongue into the container until the triangular web side flaps are advanced through the spout opening in the container wall so the triangular flaps may spread between the container wall laterally of the spout opening therein and portions of the web extending to web glue flaps secured to the container wall laterally beyond the spread of the triangular flaps so the web and the container wall embrace the triangular flaps to improve the resealing and locking of the container and securing of the spout tongue in coplanar relation with the container side wall after a discharge opening has been made in the container wall.
A further object of the invention is to provide a tab hinged to the tongue adjacent the free end thereof and swingable to project outwardly, away from the web, for convenient grasping by a user to push the tongue to swing through the tongue opening in the wall to advance the web flaps into the spout chamber and then pull the tongue outward into flush relation to the container wall or from that relation into spout extended open position.
Folded web closures for spouts are shown in patents such as Lewin U.S. Pat No. 1,698,338, Martin et al. U.S. Pat No. 2,077,341, Marken U.S. Pat. No. 2,444,104, Hansen U.S. Pat No. 2,757,830, Petitto U.S. Pat No. 3,154,226, and Kurtz U.S. Pat No. 3,250,436. However, the structures are entirely different.